The game of darts involves a round board usually made of sisal rope fibers that come from the Agave plant. The board which is called a Bristle board can be mounted directly on a wall, or be placed in a wood frame or cabinet to protect the surrounding wall from damage caused by darts missing their target. The board and cabinet are mounted at a specific height. The cabinet that the dart board is mounted in usually has two doors. When in the opened position, the doors have a chalk board fastened to the inside to allow the players to keep score.
There are various games you can play by standing at a predetermined distance from the board and then throwing the darts. The board has different sections marked out with numbers and colors. Each player has three darts to throw and the total combined score of the three darts of each player is kept. The first person to reach the chosen game point total wins the game. After every game played the board is then wiped clean with a chalk eraser.
You will need to purchase a set of darts to play. They come in a set of three with extra flights and shafts in case they get damaged while playing the game. There's a tendency of flights getting damaged when throwing and hitting other darts previously thrown. The extra shafts come in a different colors: and design of the original darts that are supplied. Players like to change the look of the dart with an assortment of colors and styles that is available. In order to make these repairs or changes requires a dart wrench. This is a small metal tool which does a number of different tasks to repair the darts.
After long usage, the dart tips become dull and need to be replaced or sharpened. You will need a small sharpening tool for this.
Players who take the game more seriously will have, many dart sets in various weights and design. The flights on the end of the darts come in different shapes and designs which change the flight of the dart. Nylon flights are the most durable of the flights sold. There are also Dimplex/Riblex flights which have a bumpy surface or ribbed surface. This style flight makes the dart slightly more stable in flight. When purchasing new flights they come packed in clear plastic bags to be able to see the different shapes and designs.
The problem is what do you do with all these accessories. The only place you have to store any of these items is on the small ledge at the bottom of the cabinet. You can't lie your darts down on their sides without causing damage to the flights. They are designed to be spread open to have a proper flight when thrown. You can't leave the darts in the bristle board because they eventually get loose and fall out. Any round item like the chalk or the shafts when placed on a flat surface will roll out of the cabinet.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,294,365 Ellsworth Henderson addresses the problem by building a small shelf which you stick to the wall with adhesive strip. Although, this shelf is only designed to hold 3 darts.
A dart storage and transport apparatus and method is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,127,210 Edward Jensen shows a carrier for darts and dart parts. The carrier comprises storage compartments where by dart parts are stored separately to minimize damage. The parts are enclosed in a box and are accessed by removing covers.